Monthly Archives: June 2007

Work has been crazy lately, but I’m enjoying it, so the 45-50 hours a week isn’t too bad. I need to start focusing on my upcoming academic endeavors though… two of my teaching certification tests are on July 7th and I need to study for those. I also need to look into taking the GRE this summer so I can apply to grad schools in the fall; I believe I only need to take the general one, so that shouldn’t be too bad. Then I can focus on my final goal for the summer: figuring out where I want to go to grad school at. I want a Master’s in Political Science, but don’t want to end up at a school with a huge Ph.D. program where I’ll be overlooked. Anyone with suggestions is welcome to leave them. So far I’ve heard good things about Eastern Illinois, Western Michigan and Northern Arizona.

But, there’s more to life than work. Last week I was lucky enough to attend two operas performed by the Pine Mountain Music Festival (PMMF), le Docteur Miracle and Trouble in Tahiti. Both were very good, with the former being my favorite of the two. I don’t know why, but I prefer operas in almost any other language. There’s just something about hearing them sung in English that takes away from the experience. This weekend, I’ve got a ticket to a cabaret put on by PMMF, which will be my first; hopefully it is as enjoyable as all the other shows they put on.

The last big event since my last update was my birthday. I’m 22 now, which doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. I’ve long since stopped really celebrating the day (with the exception of my 21st); this year a few friends and I headed to Gratiot River Park and had a bonfire before coming back to Houghton to watch the Bridgefest fireworks (if you talked to me on Saturday, I probably told you the city was shooting off fireworks to celebrate my birthday). I guess the next birthday to look forward to is my 25th… and that’s solely because my car insurance rate will go down. When did birthdays go from being so much fun to just another day?

Last year, when I turned 21, I heavily considered buying a handgun as a birthday present to myself. Instead, I bought a DSLR, a decision I have not regretted since. As my birthday rolls around this year though, I revisited the idea, and since I have no pressing camera urges to sate, I decided it was time.

I went to a few gun stores, did a bunch of internet research and talked to everyone I could find who owned a gun. “Make sure it’s comfortable.” was the suggestion everyone had for me. With that in mind, I walked into the local handgun store on Monday having narrowed it down to two guns, the Springfield Armory XD (a licensed Croatian gun) and the Smith & Wesson M&P. Picking them both up and holding them again, I handed over my credit card and asked them to order an M&P for me. “End of the week or early next week.” they told me, since they didn’t have any in stock. I got a phone call today that it was in.

I’ve not yet fired it, but it’s clean and ready to go now. Tomorrow after work, you can bet I’ll be taking it out on our first date.